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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

the invisible bridge - art and life

In an article about abstract art in salon magazine, 12-18, the author suggests -- ‘And yet the general public, at least, finds abstraction and minimalism intimidating, quick to dismiss it with “oh, I could do that” or “that’s not art.”’
This is not, in a highly technical sense, what we usually think of as ‘intimidation,’ and represents a slight misreading of public sentiment due to a seriously bent point of view, make that self-serving delusion raised to an art form. They don’t want in, the six-packs, and might actually resent you and your snooty posturings, sipping pretend tea from plastic cups while the planet smolders, adoring that abstract art.

Another article quotes Trump, from his book ‘Art of the Deal,’ how on visiting an artist friend, ‘a highly successful and very well known painter,’ the artist asks Trump -- ‘how would you like to see me make twenty five thousand dollars?’ He pours out five buckets of paint, takes maybe two minutes, and says ‘I just earned twenty five thousand, let’s go to lunch.’ Instead of gasping at what an affront such sheer larceny would be to almost everyone else on the planet, the art critics amuse themselves wondering who the artist could be, a truth squad with squirting roses in their lapels.

Shame on all the arts professionals of whatever stripe who perpetrate this mythology that abstract art represents a great deal more than elaborate trademarks, bought and sold and traded around like monopoly tokens. As a business, it's seen by many as much closer to the sham Trump said it was, and he speaks for oh so many people, you wouldn't believe. Pretending they don’t exist, these little people, or don’t count, pisses them off, and sooner or later they express themselves. The mega-irony of it all is that art matters, and shallow, stupid, mercenary art leaks out into ‘real life’ in unfortunate, unfunny ways. 


Trump was not offended by the mindlessness of the artist’s non-art, he admired it in his twisted way, the way the establishment does, all about money, fame, the secular side only. Consequences be hard, but lessons are there just waiting, laying on the ground. If the art of the eighties, celebrated for being dumb and dollar-driven, in any way contributed to the real life dilemma we’re facing these days, then let’s turn the ship around and start respecting the art in front of us. Art could turn out to be the only handle we can find on a morphing group consciousness, digital x’s and o’s sucking at our toes like sand in the tide.

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